Growing pains
by LaviniaRose1
Summary: Re-posted story under a new name. Rose tries her hardest not to let that Malfoy boy get to her, but she just can't help it!
1. Chapter 1

If somebody had asked me at the age of 11, "where do you see yourself in 10 years time?" I certainly wouldn't have answered with "I see myself walking down the aisle, on the arm of my father, towards the man I love... Scorpius Malfoy." So what happened in those 10 years? How did I come to fall in love with the son of an ex-Death Eater, and the bane of my father's existence?

**In the beginning**

It was September 1st, and I was 11 years old. Finally, it was my turn, Rose Weasley's turn, to go to Hogwarts! A day I had been looking forward to since Teddy, Al's brother, (well kind of), had disappeared off to a strange place, and Al and I had started bombarding our parents with question upon question about where he had gone, and why we couldn't go with him. For their own reasons, they were a little reluctant to tell us too much. Of course as we grew older, we pieced together a lot of our parents' history, and I can understand their reluctance more now, but to a couple of kids, the inadequate answers were more than a little frustrating. Fortunately, when Teddy returned in the summer, he was more than willing to tell us all about his year at school, and all the new friends he had made outside the Weasley/Potter family. Al and I were extremely jealous, but as my mum pointed out, it would be our turn soon enough.

So there I was, stood on platform nine and three-quarters, flanked by my parents and little brother Hugo, desperately searching for my best friend and cousin Albus through a heavy cloud of smoke. I was practically quivering with excitement and a slight twinge of nerves, though on seeing Al's face, I decided I was nowhere near as nervous as Al clearly was. I barely registered the conversations the adults were having; I was too busy worrying about not getting on to the train in time. Eventually, I switched on in time to catch my dad gesture towards a small boy with platinum blonde hair who was the perfect image of his father. Dad said something about making sure I beat him in every test, which I thought wouldn't be too difficult. I had inherited intelligence akin to one of the brightest witch's in the country after all. My mum, Hermione Weasley was one of the most sought after ministry brains in England, yet she still insisted on putting elf rights first. I suppose her efforts had resulted in fair pay and holiday time for the elves, but half the time it's like she's fighting a losing battle. I mean the elves just refuse to accept the equivalent of a wizards wage; they say it is an honour for them to serve wizards, and it isn't right for an elf to accept payment in the first place (or something daft like that).

Anyway, back to the blonde boy. I recognised his dad. I'd seen him in the Daily Prophet quite a few times; attending ministry functions; donating money to various charities, and of course speaking about several unsolved cases the Aurors were currently working on. Yep, much to my father's chagrin, Mr Malfoy worked in the Auror department along with him and my Uncle Harry. Dad often asked Uncle Harry why he insisted on employing a Malfoy, and he always received the same reply "because everyone deserves a second chance Ron, and besides he's a good Auror". My Uncle Harry is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He is a firm believer in giving people a chance to make up for the mistakes they have made, because according to him, he's been given too many chances to count, and it would just be hypocritical of him to refuse others their own second chance. My dad always replied to Uncle Harry's explanation with "but Malfoy lost his right to a second chance when he threw Dumbledore's offer of protection back in his face in sixth year". I think my dad has some issues when it comes to letting go of the past.

Before I knew it, we were being ushered on to the train and I leant out of the window in time to catch my mum trying to hide the stray tear running down her face. I shouted out to her "it's ok mum, I'll be home for Christmas!" She just smiled and blew me a kiss. By this time, Al had joined me looking a little less green than he had earlier; trust Uncle Harry to have the perfect words to cheer him up. We both waved to our family, and chuckled as Hugo and Al's sister tried to keep up with Uncle Harry's long stride as he walked along with the moving train. Once the train rounded the corner, we sat back in our seats and grinned at each other. We were finally on our way to Hogwarts!

We sat in silence for a minute before I finally cracked, "so Al... Why have you looked like you're about to be thrown in a snake pit all morning?" Al glared at me.

"James has been going on about how my personality traits fit perfectly with Slytherin requirements".

I laughed. Al could be so gullible sometimes. "Come on Al, you should know better than to listen to that brother of yours. How many times has Aunt Ginny had to reprimand him this summer alone for trying to wind you up?" He hung his head and muttered something to himself, but I didn't get chance to ask him what he said because the compartment door opened and in walked the blonde boy from the platform. He stopped in the doorway and looked from me to Al, then back to me.

"You're a Weasley," was all he said, a little rudely if you asked me.

"Well observed there Malfoy, ten points to Slytherin," was my retort. Both Al and the intruder raised their eye brows at me.

"Rose," Al hissed at me, "be nice!" Yep, definitely Uncle Harry's son. He turned then and stuck out his hand "Albus Potter, it's very nice to meet you." Malfoy shook Al's hand and replied "I'm Scorpius, and as you obviously already know I'm a Malfoy." He chose to ignore my Slytherin comment.

"This is my cousin, Rose Weasley. She isn't normally this rude." I glared at Al, but chose not to start an argument and turned to look out of the window.

Apparently there weren't any other compartments free, so Scorpius sat in the corner of ours and got one of his school books out to read. It was tempting to strike up a conversation about the book as I'd obviously already read it from cover to cover, but I resisted, and Al and I talked about the Cannon's recent loss at home to the Holyhead Harpies instead. I was a diehard Cannon's fan just like my dad, where as Al was always loyal to his mother's old team.

We chatted until the lunch trolley arrived, closely followed by James and our cousin Freddie. We bought a whole lot of food, sat in a circle on the compartment floor and shared it out between us. To our surprise, Scorpius had brought Sandwiches from home and didn't raid the lunch trolley like we did. I could see Al looking at him thoughtfully and tried to catch his eye to stop the inevitable. Unfortunately it didn't work.

"Hey Scorpius, fancy joining us?" Scorpius looked up in surprise at Al's words.

"It's ok thank you Albus. Mum insisted I eat the sandwiches she made me."

James snorted, "I thought Malfoys were waited on hand and foot by their many house elf slaves?"

Scorpius turned slightly pink and mumbled something about his mother liking to look after her own house. I could see Al glaring daggers at James out of the corner of my eye. I must admit, I felt a bit guilty about my rudeness earlier, but really, how did Al expect me to compete with this boy academically if he insisted on making friends with him?

Al tried again, "Come and sit with us at least. We might be large in numbers, but the Weasley family isn't that scary, trust me." Too nice for his own good my cousin is. Scorpius finally relented and came to sit with us on the floor. Conversation was slow at first, but eventually he got in to a heated debate with Al and James about whether or not Victor Krum was the best Seeker to ever walk the planet. Al insisted Uncle Harry was better. I rolled my eyes and turned to Fred. "So, how's Uncle Charlie? Dad said you'd been to see him in Romania last week." And that's how conversation carried on pretty much until the sky began to darken and we decided it might be a good idea to get changed into our school robes.

It was just Al, Scorpius and I left in the compartment now, and it was very quiet. Al had turned a little green again (before leaving, James had made sure to wish him luck trying to convince the hat he didn't belong in Slytherin), Scorpius had turned even paler than his normal skin tone, which I hadn't previously thought possible. I sat and watched as we pulled into the station, then jumped up and pulled Al out of the compartment behind me.

Out on the platform we weaved through the crowd of students towards a large figure at the other end swinging a lantern in his huge hand. "Hagrid!" We shouted in unison.

"Well, if it ain't me two favouri' firs' years!" Hagrid said, dragging us both into bone crushing hugs. Once he finally let us go, he gestured for us to follow him and began bellowing "firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

We followed Hagrid off the platform and towards a crowd of small boats waiting for us at the side of a large lake. We scrambled in and waited for the other boats to fill up. At this point we had no idea where Scorpius had gone, but only Al seemed to be fussing about it. I was too excited to catch my first glimpse of Hogwarts. Mum had always said that the most memorable image she has of Hogwarts is that first view from the lake as they floated across in first year. A few minutes later I found out why. The castle was breathtaking. Every window appeared to be lit up, and it was beautiful. Every first year gasped in awe as they caught sight of their home for the next seven years.

About twenty minutes later we were stood in front of a large oak door behind Hagrid, who lifted his huge hand to an equally huge door knocker and knocked loudly. Within a minute, the door was opened, and there in front of us was the tiniest man I had ever seen. It certainly was a sight to see him stood in front of Hagrid, the half giant.

"Ah Hagrid, I see you managed to get them here in one piece." The tiny man squeaked in greeting. "Hello children, my name is Professor Flitwick and I am here to welcome you to Hogwarts. Please follow me." We followed Professor Flitwick in to a grand entrance hall with ceilings as tall as my house. Many of the other children were gazing around the room with awestruck expressions on their faces. I looked over at Al and noticed he didn't seem to be paying much attention to his surroundings, and was more concerned with keeping down all those sweets he ate earlier.

Professor Flitwick led us in to a room off the entrance hall that was significantly smaller.

"In a few minutes, I will be taking you in to The Great Hall where you will be sorted. There is no need to be afraid, the sorting is a simple process, and the Sorting Hat has never failed to choose the right house yet. Remember, your House will be your home for the next seven years, so the sorting isn't a process that is taken lightly." The room was completely silent, and several faces now mirrored Al's worried expression. "Follow me children!"

We all walked in to the Great Hall, and the previous hum of chatter disappeared immediately. I must admit, this is where the fear finally settled in. The next half an hour seemed to be a haze to me. I barely registered the Sorting Hat's song at all. I finally became aware of my surroundings when a slight murmur spread across the hall. I looked up to see what could have caused it and saw Scorpius walking up to the stool with his head bowed shyly. I watched as he picked the hat up and placed it on his head before sitting down on the small stool in front of the teacher's table. At this point I noticed Hagrid sitting alongside the other teachers and grinned at him.

It must have been a full five minutes before the Hat finally opened its mouth and shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" The Hall because eerily silent as everyone let that one word sink in. I could almost hear their minds thinking the same as mine, "a Malfoy? In Gryffindor? Surely not!"

I watched as Scorpius pulled the hat from his head and looked around nervously, then all of a sudden the Gryffindor table erupted in to applause, led, I'm pretty sure, by James and Fred.

This seemed to be the confidence Scorpius needed because a small smile appeared on his lips, and he hopped down from the platform and walked over to his new House table; settling himself beside Freddie and across from my other cousin Victoire.

I watched the rest of the sorting, awaiting my turn. It was such a pain being a Weasley at times. I would no doubt be last in line. I watched as Al barely refrained from vomiting over himself when his name was called and a similar ripple of chattering filled the Hall. He needn't have worried though, within seconds of the hat touching his head it had shouted "GRYFFINDOR," and the biggest smile I had seen on Al's face all day appeared out of nowhere.

Eventually it was my turn. I lifted my chin up and walked to the stool, putting on a show of confidence that nowhere near mirrored how I felt inside. I sat down, placed the Hat on my head and nearly jumped out of my skin when a small voice began to whisper in my ear.

"Ahhh, another Weasley." I rolled my eyes at this, "I've had quite a few of you to place in recent years, though none quite so challenging as you. Now... I see you have inherited your mother's thirst for knowledge. Yes. Very clever... However, is that a hint of mischief I see? And a strong desire to prove yourself; separate yourself from the rest of your family."

"No, I can't be separated from my family!" I found myself thinking desperately.

"Are you sure? You would do very well in Ravenclaw? Well... I suppose it is your choices that matter most... Better be GRYFFINDOR!"

I barely registered the route I took to the Gryffindor table, only that I somehow ended up sat beside Al, who was grinning widely at me. I must have grimaced back because Al frowned, but didn't say anything.

I had been the last to be sorted. The headmaster, Professor McGonagall stood to welcome the new students and declare the feast open.

I looked down as the empty plates in front of us suddenly filled with the most delicious looking food I had ever seen. I almost forgot the Hat completely as I dived for the roast potatoes, but Al wasn't letting me get away that easily.

"OK Rosie?" he asked as he nudged me with his elbow.

"Yeah, just thought for a minute there I'd end up in Ravenclaw."

Al raised his eyebrows at me, but it was Scorpius who replied.

"Look at it this way. At least it wasn't almost Slytherin." I gave him a funny look and he seemed to realise I needed more of an explanation than that. "Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin... Finally decided that any Malfoy requesting to go anywhere _but_ Slytherin must be brave enough for Gryffindor." He smiled at what must have been a shocked expression on my face. Al almost choked on his pumpkin juice.

"Well that explains why you're here then mate!" Al finally spluttered. "Know what your parents will say?"

Scorpius seemed to think about this for a moment before replying, "My parents will be proud. They're not as bad as everyone seems to think they are. I bet Dad will secretly be pleased, he'd have loved the chance to rebel. I know my Grandparent's won't be happy, but I don't have to see them too often anyway, so who cares what they think?"

I was beginning to think that maybe this Malfoy boy wasn't as bad as Dad would have me believe after all.

Damn it!

How's a girl supposed to compete with someone she's quickly deciding she'd quite like to be friends with?


	2. Chapter 2

**First Year**

I woke up on September 2nd far too early for my liking. I think it was the sleepy noises coming from the other girls in the dormitory that disturbed me, but that's only to be expected when you find yourself sharing a room for the first time in your life.

Never the morning person; I rolled over a few times hoping to grab another half an hour of sleep before I knew I had to get up, but I just couldn't seem to settle again, so I got up and got myself ready for my first lessons. By the time I came out of the bathroom, another girl from my dorm was awake and getting ready too. The girl's name was Niamh Finnigan and we had met at the welcome feast the night before. My parents knew her father when they we at school, and I had met him a few times when Dad had taken me in to the Ministry with him. I had never met Niamh though, as she lived in Ireland and her dad only came over to work in England occasionally.

Niamh looked up at me when I walked back in to the room and smiled. "Morning Rose." She said cheerfully, "Excited to start lessons?"

"I will be once I've got some breakfast inside of me. I really don't like mornings." I replied.

I waited for Niamh to tie her light brown hair back in to a ponytail, and then allowed her to leave before me. The girl was for too cheery for the time of morning it was. She practically skipped down the spiral staircase in front of me.

When we entered the Great Hall, I was surprised to see Albus already sitting at the Gryffindor table along with Scorpius. Al hated mornings more than I did, I wondered how he could possibly have made it down to breakfast before me. As we drew nearer, I saw that he was practically falling asleep in his porridge, so I assumed he must have been dragged out of bed by a decidedly perkier looking Scorpius.

As I sat down, I said loudly, "Wake up Al! I don't fancy having to tell Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny you drowned in your breakfast on your first day of school!" This seemed to bring him around a little, and he jerked his head up to look at me.

"You're one to talk Rosie! I'm surprised you even managed to make it down in time to get breakfast at all." This earned Al a scowl, before I started to load my plate with scrambled egg and toast.

"Hungry?" Scorpius said, looking at my plate as though it had personally offended him.

"Starving!" I replied, before tucking in to the most delicious eggs I had ever tasted. I had closed my eyes while I savoured the taste of my yummy breakfast, so didn't notice James sit down next to me.

"What's that I hear? Rose Weasley's starving? Quick lads, fill your plates while there's still food left for us." James said before grabbing the nearest plate of bacon.

"Oh shut it James!" I snapped. "First, Al, now you. What is this? Pick on Rose day?"

James just laughed at me and flung his arm over my shoulder. "Lighten up Rosie! You know I'm only messing." I couldn't stay mad at James for long. He might spend a great deal of time winding up the various members of our family, but his grin is so infectious, you can't help but smile back. I tried to hide my smile from him by turning to talk to Niamh, but I could tell James wasn't fooled.

After breakfast, Uncle Neville, who happened to be the head of Gryffindor, came down the table with our new timetables. We had Transfiguration first; then Herbology with the Ravenclaws, and after dinner it was double Potions with the Slytherins, which I really wasn't looking forward to.

Our first lesson was brilliant. Professor Cyrus was very impressed with the amount of questions Scorpius and I could answer. Our hands were first in the air every time, and it sort of turned in to a silent battle to see who could answer the most correct answers, and I do believe I won. I could tell this aggravated Scorpius greatly. I even managed to transfigure my match stick in to a more convincing looking needle, though Scorpius disagreed of course, but then Al also thought his was the best.

I realised during that first lesson that actually controlling my magic, and getting my wand to perform the exact spell I wanted it to, had turned out to be more difficult than I thought. Though I supposed that was why we had to practice.

Herbology with Uncle Neville was fun. I could tell he was finding it hard not to see Al and me as his adopted niece and nephew, but he did a good job in treating us just the same as the other students. He did manage to find an excuse to award Gryffindor 10 points though, something the Ravenclaws were quick to pick up on, but I thought Niamh's perfect potting was well deserving of those points.

Finally, we were entering the dungeons for our lesson with the Slytherins. I know there isn't as much stigma attached to being in Slytherin house as there used to be, but I couldn't help thinking they looked like an unfriendly lot. I did think Al and I would be on the receiving end of a few glares, but I noticed that the glares seemed to be aimed at Scorpius.

I was just wondering if they thought that a Malfoy being sorted in to Gryffindor was a great dishonour when one of the first years said loudly "Merlin, imagine what Draco will do when he finds out his precious son is a traitor?" Scorpius looked about ready to kill, but Al grabbed his arm and muttered "Mate, just ignore them. They aren't worth it" and dragged him in to the classroom.

Professor Bole stood in thoughtful silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard quite a few horror stories about potions lessons from your various family members." His eyes lingered over the Gryffindor side of the room before he carried on. "I'm not here to tell you that I will be more lenient than some of my predecessors, because I won't. I do not tolerate misbehaviour of any kind in my classroom. Some of you will do well to remember this." I had a sneaking suspicion that James and Freddie had caused some manor of mayhem in potions last year, because that last statement seemed to be directed at Al.

We were set to work on creating a simple sleeping draught in pairs. Together Niamh and I managed to produce a potion only a few shades lighter than that stated in our book. I could hear Scorpius and Al having an argument because Al had put the Valerian extract in at the wrong time and Scorpius was now having to hurriedly try to fix the mistake. At the end of the lesson, Professor Bole walked round the classroom passing comment on the various states of each pairing's potion. He complimented many of the Slytherins, though I thought they hardly deserved it, and criticised Gryffindor students with what seemed to be enthusiasm, walking straight past our table so avoiding praise. He stopped at the table Al and Scorpius were working at and sneered in to their cauldron. "Well, I expect nothing less of a Potter, but I was rather hoping a Malfoy could produce something a little better than this disaster." Scorpius glared at the Professor's retreating back, knowing better than to earn himself a detention on his first day by answering back.

As I packed my things up, I felt Scorpius storm past me and I turned to see a less than happy look on his face, then as we left the classroom, I heard a yell up ahead.

"Oi Malfoy! Has daddy disowned you yet? I'm surprised he hasn't been up to the school demanding to see McGonagall already."

Al rushed ahead to find his new friend, and I heard Niamh whisper "oh no."

Scorpius finally came in to view and I could see he had his wand pointing towards a short, stocky boy with very short dark hair. "Shut up Goyle if you know what's good for you, or you might find yourself waking up with an uglier face than the one you've already got." Scorpius seethed. "Of course, I'll have to find a spell powerful enough to achieve such a result first." He added, almost thoughtfully. I couldn't help but giggle at this, which earned me a glare from Niamh.

"Rose, this isn't funny! He could lose us all those points I earned this morning!"

I rolled my eyes at her and said loudly "sure it is. I for one would love to see what kind of spell could possibly make that face look any uglier." People stared at me as I walked over to Scorpius, plucked his wand out of his hand and turned him towards the stairs leading to the entrance hall. "Come on Scor, my tummy and I both think we have better things to be doing than wasting our time on these losers, like eating a plate load of toad in the hole."

Scorpius didn't say a word all the way to the Gryffindor table or even when I handed him back the wand I had taken. Only as I loaded my mouth with my first bite of Yorkshire pudding did he say, "What did you do that for?"

"Oo wha?" I said.

"Don't play dumb with me Rose" Scorpius snapped.

I rolled my eyes for the second time in 15 minutes before swallowing my food and answering, "we both know that Professor Bole could have walked out of that classroom at any minute, and that your dad would be a lot more disappointed in your earning a detention on your first day than he could be in you being sorted in to Gryffindor ten times over."

He obviously knew I was right because he just stared in silence at his plate as Al loaded it with the craziest mix of food I've ever seen.

"Al! What are you trying to do to the poor boy? Death by indigestion is not pretty!" James said as he sat down next to me.

"What's this I hear about you threatening some slimy Slytherin git Scorpius?" Freddie added as he sat down opposite.

When Scorpius didn't answer Niamh piped up "He could have gotten in to so much trouble and lost all my hard earned house points just because of some silly comment about his father."

I'm glad James spoke up because I could see Scorpius getting angry again. "What a git. If he says anything else to you, let me and Fred here know yeah? We'll be glad to help get the bastard off your back."

"James!" I exclaimed. "If Aunt Ginny found out you was trying to recruit new troublemakers, she'd hex you in to next week."

"Ah but she won't find out will she Rosie?" He replied with a warning look in his eye. I might be a stickler for rules, but I had inherited my dad's need to protect his family, and I certainly wouldn't be grassing James up any time soon. James, unfortunately, knew that too.

Scorpius looked at me then turned to James and Freddie. "Thanks guys. I'll let you know if I need anything." I just scowled at this and went back to my food. Urgh, boys!

The rest of the year was pretty uneventful. I spent most of my time with Niamh, and occasionally Al when he'd chickened out of one of the harebrained schemes Scorpius, James and Fred hadn't managed to convince him to take part in. Scorpius and I competed for the title of 'top of the class' in every subject, and squabbled constantly. Mostly about him being a bad influence on my cousin. He had received a letter from Mr Malfoy a few days after the start of term, and as Scorpius had predicted, Mr Malfoy was very supportive of him being in Gryffindor. Al said that Mr Malfoy thought it was the perfect opportunity to show the world that the Malfoys had turned themselves around, and the youngest family member was a much better person than he himself could ever have been. That last part had been told to Al in the strictest confidence, because, as Scorpius had explained, his father was a very proud man and would never admit in public that he had made such grave mistakes in the past. Of course, Al couldn't keep anything from his favourite cousin.

Somehow, Scorpius and Al managed to avoid getting detention until May. This was a great achievement in itself considering their involvement in some pranks, and James and Freddie were set to outperform James's granddad James Potter and Sirius Black in the rule breaking department and earn themselves more detentions in one year. However, on the anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts, during breakfast, Fred had dared Scorpius and Al to set off a whole bunch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks in the great hall in tribute to Freddie's namesake, our Uncle Fred, who had died in battle.

The hall was almost full of students when Albus and Scorpius looked at each other then stood on their seats and threw their fireworks in to the air. The whole room was suddenly filled with bright lights and the roaring of the various elaborate lions that flew around the room. The display only lasted a couple of minutes before Uncle Neville stood up and vanished them easily through years of practice, having attended many a Weasley gathering (Uncle George had finally relented and come up with a spell to get rid of them). This wasn't before a tribute to Uncle Fred wound its way across the hall though. It read 'In loving memory of Frederick Gideon Weasley, one half of the founders of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and one seriously brave man.'

Uncle Neville was fuming "Mr Malfoy. Mr Potter. My office! Now!" He boomed.

Al and Scorpius grinned and high fived each other before hopping down from the seats they were still stood on and strolling out of the great hall to general applause. I looked up at Professor McGonagall and I swear I saw a small smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye before she cleared her throat and stood up to address the students. "Now, as I'm sure you are all aware after that rather extravagant display. Today is the anniversary of the battle that happened here on Hogwarts grounds, ending years of fear and loss at the hands of the most terrible Wizard to ever live. I would like you all to take some time out of your day to think about those brave Wizards and Witches alike that fought to make the magical world a more peaceful place for you all to live."

The students fell silent for a few minutes after the Headmistress returned to her seat. I realised I truly was grateful for everything our parents and their friends had done for us before we were even born. I had spent many hours in the library reading about those years leading up to Lord Voldemort's death. I had not realised until this year how great a part my family had played in the war, but I really did not blame them for not talking about it too much. It did explain though why we got strange looks in the street, and everyone seemed so interested in our sorting at the beginning of the year. I also realised that I didn't really want to talk about it with anyone myself, and I understood why none of my cousins had brought up the subject after they started at Hogwarts. It was something to be proud of yes. But it wasn't something that should dictate the way we live now. We were just a normal family; living in a normal world; apparently getting in to trouble for breaking normal school rules, but just so happened to be quite well known across Britain.

Albus and Scorpius received a week's worth of detentions, which earned them both howlers from their mothers and high fives from James and Freddie. Uncle George even wrote to them both to congratulate them on a display that would have made his twin proud. Apparently, when Aunt Angelina found out, she went mad. Mum had written all about it in one of her letters because they had all been attending a family dinner at The Burrow at the time.

Before I knew it, we were on the train back to Kings Cross for summer. I was sat playing exploding snap with Niamh, while Al and Scorpius discussed their plans for the summer, which involved a lot of Quidditch, and also some prank planning with James and Freddie. I looked at the disapprovingly when I heard about the plans. "One day, you two will get in to some serious trouble, and you will regret never listening to my warnings!"

"Oh lighten up Rose. We're only kids; we're supposed to enjoy ourselves while we can. I bet you'd enjoy it too if you joined us once in a while." Scorpius said.

"In your dreams Malfoy." I said. And I meant it (at the time).


	3. Chapter 3

_I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter and I'm still unsure about it. Please let me know what you think._

_C_

**That first summer**

My cousin didn't half know how to wind me up! He was flying in circles around my head on his new broom singing "Ring a Ring o' Roses," while James laughed hysterically at my bright red ears (Damn my Weasley genes).

"Alright Al! I'll play Quidditch with you, but _only_ because it's your birthday, and _only_ if I can Chase." This caused both Al and James to cheer loudly.

"When Scor gets here, you and him can be chasers with me. James can seek. Freddie and Dom can be Beaters, and we'll con Mols into being keeper." I snorted at the last bit. They'd have better luck persuading Lucy to play than Molly. Although Molly happened to be an excellent Keeper, she liked to pretend that she was above such childish games when her father was around. This was a shame really, because although, being Weasley's and all, we could all practically fly before we could walk, Lucy just didn't have the knack for Quidditch that her twin sister did. If it wasn't for the fact that Molly and Lucy looked identical in every way, you'd never guess from their personalities that they are even sisters, never mind twins. Molly is the definition of 'proper', very much like her father (my Uncle Percy). Top of every class; never put a toe out of line; aspired to be the first female Minister for Magic even at the age of 11, and a massive spoil sport (though I suppose she does have a decent sense of humour, unlike Uncle Percy). Lucy on the other hand is possibly one of the biggest trouble makers in the family; often giving James and Freddie a run for their money. Uncle Percy has been known to comment how much like Uncle George she is, and how Uncle Fred would have been proud of her, but "that's no excuse for her behaviour" of course.

Our other cousin Dom, is also a fantastic Quidditch player. Dom and Freddie became practically invincible almost as soon as they started playing together as Beaters. I think that maybe the Veela in her shines through when she's on a broom. It would certainly explain all that aggression that she suddenly releases once she started aiming bludgers at people. Freddie on the other hand has no excuse for his aggression. He's just Freddie.

Although it had taken a lot of persuasion, I was secretly excited to start playing. I hadn't been on a broom all summer because whenever the family got together to play Quidditch, Scorpius would be there, and I just didn't want to look like a fool in front of him. He would no doubt come up with something to tease me about. We spent the whole of first year bickering about something or other, though mainly about his influence over Al, and occasionally his oversized ego.

Scorpius and Al were best friends. After that first night at Hogwarts, they were barely ever seen without each other. Unfortunately, this meant that I had no choice but to hang around with Scorpius too. Now don't get me wrong, I had made other friends in my House. Niamh Finnigan was my best friend. But I could never go a day without speaking to Al. From the day he was born (2 months after me), we spent almost every day together because our parents lived next door to each other in Godric's Hollow, and Grandma Molly used to baby sit us during the day while our parents worked.

Al and James had disappeared inside to round up as many adults to play as possible, so I turned to find my favourite spot under the silver birch tree at the bottom of the garden. I loved to sit and read in the shade, and could get lost for hours in my favourite books. I couldn't wait to get my hands on my new school books for next year; I needed to get a head start on beating Malfoy in every subject. Much to my annoyance, he'd managed to come top in Transfiguration, Potions and Astronomy.

After only 15 minutes of reading, I was interrupted by the arrival of my beautiful barn owl Kizzy. She had been a gift from my parents for my birthday and also as congratulations for getting such good exam results. I have a sneaking suspicion she was mum's idea, since dad had been rather disgruntled that I'd let "that Malfoy boy" beat me in THREE subjects.

Kizzy landed on my shoulder and held her leg out to me so that I could un-tie the small scroll of parchment that was tied there. The letter was from Niamh, describing her summer in Ireland in great detail. It sounded like she'd had a lovely summer, and I couldn't wait to hear more about it when we met up again on the train the following week.

By the time I'd finished reading my muggle novel, I could hear Al shouting for me to "get my arse" back to the house and get ready for the game. I couldn't understand what the hurry was; it wasn't like we had to be anywhere. Dad, Uncle Harry and Uncle George had created a professional sized Quidditch pitch behind the house once the family began to multiply, so it was only a case of hopping over the fence.

On my way back out of the house, broom in hand, I walked past Scorpius, who smirked and shouted "Finally decided to try and out fly me then Rosie?" I opened my mouth to retaliate, but Al beat me to it, "Watch it Scor, she'll be making you eat your words by the end of the game." I just grinned and stalked past in the direction of the pitch.

Al must have really worked his magic when putting together the adult team. He'd managed to con my dad in to playing Keeper, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Angie, and Uncle Bill were Chasers, Uncle George and Uncle Charlie were Beaters, and Uncle Harry was Seeker. I secretly thought we were going to get a thrashing, but Al and James were convinced we'd win because we "had youth on our side."

Once we were all in the air Teddy walked on to the pitch with a case, shouted up to us that he would like to ref a clean game for once (directing glares at both James and Freddie), then released the balls. I swooped down and caught the Quaffle from right under Uncle Bill's nose and streaked off towards my father. I could see the battle going on inside his head; he obviously didn't want to risk hurting his little girl to save the goal. A mischievous smile playing on my lips; I tossed the ball to Al as he came up alongside me; swerved around my father easily; caught the Quaffle as Al tossed it back; and scored through the middle hoop, before grabbing hold of the post and swinging myself back around to face my cheering team mates and a gobsmacked Scorpius. I vaguely heard My Uncle Harry shouting at Dad for being too soft on me which made me smile. Uncle Harry never treated us like children when we played Quidditch, he always insisted the adults treated it like any other game. It was one of the reasons we were all so brilliant at the game, even though I do say so myself. The telling off must have done the trick because Dad seemed to forget that I was his little girl from then on, and even threw a few choice curse words in my direction, for which Mum would no doubt hex him in to next Sunday when he finally landed.

The game went on for fifty minutes before Uncle Harry finally caught the snitch, only narrowly beating James to it. The final score was three hundred and sixty to two hundred. Even though we lost, we didn't mind, after all, we had been playing a team of ex-Gryffindor players, including Aunt Ginny, who had gone on to play for the Hollyhead Harpies. Al, Scorpius and I had managed to score a fair amount of goals between us. We worked brilliantly together, seemingly able to predict each others' next moves perfectly.

When we landed, Scorpius came to walk beside me, "Wow, Weasley that was one hell of a game you played up there!" I raised my eyebrows at him; that was a massive compliment coming from Scorpius. "Where did you learn to fly like that?"

I grinned and tapped my nose, "Ahh, that's for me to know Malfoy, and you to never find out." Little did he know, I'd grown up studying Aunt Ginny's every move on the pitch and begged her to teach me some of her signature moves. Potions grades were one thing, but this was one contest he'd never win.

Next morning I woke up late to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. I was so hungry I decided to go straight down to breakfast instead of going through my normal morning rituals. I was in my own house, it didn't matter what I looked like did it? I was wrong.

I walked in to the kitchen to find Al, James and Scorpius sat at the kitchen table eating their bacon sandwiches and talking about the latest Quidditch scores. I froze in the doorway and they all looked up at me. "Great", I thought. "I'm stood here in my pyjamas, which happen to be the smallest pair of shorts I own and a vest top, and my hair is all over the place because I haven't even brushed it, and the most critical person I know is sat there smirking at me."

"Why Weasley, did you get all dressed up just for me?" Scorpius drawled sarcastically. James and Al sat chuckling next to him. "The birds nest on your head really suits you. How did you tame your hair it into such a fashionable style?"

I scowled at Scorpius before walking over to the table and sitting down. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd embarrassed me enough to go back and get changed.

"What are you all doing here?" I said.

"Your mum's taking us shopping. Dad was going to take us to Diagon Alley for our school supplies, but some big Auror thing came up and he had to go in to work. Same with Scor."

"I'm sorry Rose," mum said. "I know I promised you a girl's day, but you all need your school things, and today is the last day of summer." Great.

I ate my breakfast quickly and then went to get ready to go to Diagon Alley. We travelled to the Leaky Cauldron via flu, waved to Hannah as we passed through and walked out on to the busy streets of Diagon Alley.

First we headed to get Al and James new robes, as they had both grown out of their old ones, then we bought new potions supplies and a new cauldron for James (he had managed to melt his last one half way through the previous year), by the time we found our way to Flourish and Blotts, the boys were complaining loudly about how boring shopping for school supplies was. Honestly, we had only been there about an hour! Mum managed to shut them up by promising them a trip to see Uncle George in his shop. Personally, I thought James may have orchestrated the little display to achieve that exact outcome. I knew for a fact that he had been complaining about his limited supply of skiving snack boxes.

We were in Flourish and Blotts for about another hour because mum got talking to one of the staff about a new release of Hogwarts: A History. When we finally reached Weasley's Wizard Wheezes I was shocked at the amount of people that were crammed in to the shop. They were probably all Hogwarts students buying last minute supplies. We managed to squeeze our way through to the back and found Uncle George trying to sell a new love potion to a group of teenage girls.

"Honestly George, do they need that kind of encouragement?" Mum said while shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Hermione, if you had your way, I'd have been out of business years ago. A guy has to make a living you know!" Uncle George said before turning to us. "Now then lads, what can I get you today?"

James started reeling of a list of things he would like to buy, which caused mum to launch in to a speech about what was and wasn't an acceptable purchase. I just rolled my eyes and decided to leave them to their argument while I went to play with the Pigmy Puffs in the window.

While I was watching the Pigmy Puffs chase each other around their pen, I noticed Al and Scorpius sneaking out of the front door. I wondered where they could possibly be going and decided to follow them and remind them that we were supposed to be sticking together.

Once outside I looked both ways before spotting the two boys rushing down the Alley before suddenly turning down a side street. Without thinking, I headed after them and found myself suddenly stood in what appeared to be a dingy back street. Looking around, I noticed that there were several dirty shop windows lining the street, and a few stalls along the middle that appeared to be selling jars filled with pickled body parts. Walking towards one of the stalls, I wrinkled my nose as my first suspicions turned out to be correct, then I gasped as I suddenly realised where I was. This was Knockturn Alley. A place my parents had expressly forbidden me to ever set foot in.

I looked around, desperately trying to locate my stupid cousin and his equally as idiotic best friend. What were they thinking of coming here? They were nowhere to be seen.

I stepped back, intending to find the street I had come from only to jump in shock as I realised I had bumped in to something large and human like. I looked up very slowly and looked in to the face of a very scary looking Warlock, how was leering down at me in a way that made my heart jump in to my throat in fear.

"Umm, sorry... I didn't see you there. I... I'll just be going." I stammered.

I Warlock however had other ideas. He grabbed my arm and hissed "Not so fast little girly. I've got some very nice Jewellery over here that I'm sure you'd just love to see." I felt tears well up in my eyes as I realised that I probably wouldn't be leaving Knockturn Alley any time soon. I tried to pull away, but it was useless; he was too strong. Then suddenly a voice shouted "Hey! Get your filthy hands off of her!" I looked around to see Scorpius and Al running towards me.

The Warlock laughed as Scorpius tried to grab my hand and pull me away. "You really think a scrawny little thing like you can scare me?"

"No." Another unfamiliar voice cut in. "But I'm sure a senior Auror could." The Warlock let go of my arm and spun around. Stood behind him was a man who looked almost identical to Scorpius except he was a lot older and very tall. "Leave. Now! Before I decide I need a new target to practice my defensive spells on." The Warlock didn't hesitate to get out of Mr Malfoy's way.

Mr Malfoy turned to us and said in a deadly calm voice, "Follow me."

We walked in silence back to the safety of Diagon Alley. I could barely see where we were going due to the silent tears rolling down my face, blurring my vision. Once we were well clear of the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Mr Malfoy rounded on us with fury in his eyes. "Would one of you like to explain to me what the _hell _you were doing wandering around Knockturn Alley? Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous it is for you down there?"

I took a few shaky breaths as I tried to calm myself down before catching Scorpius' eye. He was studying my face with worry in his eyes; something that I had never seen there before. I was just about to open my mouth to offer some kind of explanation to Mr Malfoy when Scorpius cut me off.

"It was my fault dad. I dared Al to come with me because I thought he would be too scared, and Rose followed us to try and stop us. We snuck out of Al's Uncle George's shop while Rose's mum wasn't watching."

Mr Malfoy stared at his son for a few moments before he said, "I thought I raised you better than to knowingly lead your friends in to danger. You will be punished, that is a promise. Now we had better make sure Albus and Rose get back to the shop before we have a team of Aurors here looking for you. " He paused before adding, "I will be telling both of your fathers about this though."

I couldn't believe Scorpius had taken the blame for us like that, especially for me.

When Mr Malfoy turned to lead us back to Uncle George's shop I mouthed a thank you at him and he just smiled in reply.

Thankfully my mum had only just realised we were missing when we returned, but once Mr Malfoy had explained what had happened she was livid. James stood behind her with a smirk on his face because for once it wasn't him that was getting in to trouble. We were taken straight home after that and we didn't have our usual sending off party at Uncle Harry's house.

Personally, I was glad it we were going back to school in the morning because I know mum would have had me doing chores for weeks afterwards. Thank heaven for small mercies.


	4. Chapter 4

_These filler years are proving very difficult to write. Here's second and third year for you. Let me know what you think. I wanted to try and fill you in on Rose and Scorpius' past before diving straight in there with a relationship, but I'm not sure how well I'm doing._

_C xx_

**Second Year**

After our little incident in Diagon Alley, Scorpius and I became a little closer. We still bickered constantly, but we engaged each other in friendly chatter more after Scorpius bailed me and Al out; often spending hours together in the library perfecting our essays.

For all Scorpius' trouble making, he really was a good student. I couldn't work out whether he actually enjoyed studying, or was merely trying to please his father and make up for said trouble making. I'd like to think he was studying more for himself rather than to keep others happy.

Second year was a very uneventful year in the grand scheme of things. Other than my new found 'friendship' with Scorpius, nothing much happened. James and Freddie managed to set a new record for detentions after they were caught turning the Potions Master's hair blue whenever he turned around. In my opinion they deserved the three weeks of detentions they received. How silly can a Gryffindor prankster be to make the Head of Slytherin house in to one of their jokes?

James, Freddie and Dom all joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team and helped to propel them to victory, so securing the house cup as well.

The most surprising thing about second year was Al's sudden interest in DADA. He quickly became Professor Munio's favourite student, having out-performed the whole class in every test he threw at us, and everyone quickly began to compare him to his famous father. This of course worried Uncle Harry greatly. If there was one thing Uncle Harry didn't want for his children, it was for them to become involved in fighting Dark Wizards. As much as he enjoyed his job in the Auror department, he had been in more life threatening situations than most ordinary wizards, and to have to watch his children put themselves in that kind of danger would be Uncle Harry's worst fear. The rest of Hogwarts however found Al's new talent fascinating. He was the talk of the corridors, much to James's annoyance, but Al remained as modest and as shy as his father; choosing to ignore all the rumours in hope that they would eventually go away.

**Third Year**

Third year was a great deal more interesting than second. I was sat in a carriage with Al, Scor, James, Fred, Lily and Hugo on the way to Hogwarts after our summer break when Al suddenly blurted out, "Rose, did you hear? Dom was made Quidditch captain this year, and even better, all three Chasers left last year. We have to try out for the team."

I thought about this for a moment before saying "I don't know Al. We're taking on new subjects this year, and we're only third years, what chance do you think we have of getting on the team?"

Scorpius snorted at my comment. "Seriously Weasley, you know you're a brilliant Chaser. Don't pretend you don't know it."

In all honesty, I did know it. I just didn't like to brag about it; especially after I had watched Scorpius practice so much over the summer with Al, James and Freddie. I got the impression that he was slightly bitter because he thought I never practiced, but what he didn't know was that I had spent years perfecting my flying technique until every move became almost second nature to me.

"We'll see," I mumbled, before looking back down at my new Ancient Runes text.

At the sorting, Lily and Hugo were both sorted in to Gryffindor almost immediately. Our other cousin Louis was also sorted, but he went to Ravenclaw, joining Molly, the only other non-Gryffindor Weasley. Auntie Luna's twin boy's Lorcan and Lysander Scamander also joined Ravenclaw this year. They sat down next to each other, looking very much like chalk and cheese. I had always loved Auntie Luna, but you couldn't exactly say she was the most normal of people. Her son Lorcan had inherited her slightly unique view of the world and sat waiting for the feast to begin with large blue glasses framing his large blue eyes and one of Auntie Luna's famous butterbeer cork necklace's around his neck. Lysander on the other hand, had managed to avoid picking up Luna's quirky traits. He was as dark as Lorcan was fair, looking very much like his father, and he sat patiently, sending glares in the direction of anyone who dared to make a less than friendly comment about Lorcan's interesting appearance. Lysander was very protective of his brother, for which I was very glad as I recalled the stories my mum had told me about the way children treated Auntie Luna while she was at Hogwarts.

When the feast appeared in front of us, I completely forgot my surroundings and dived for the nearest plate of roast potatoes. The welcome feast was my favourite meal of the year, after Grandma Molly's Christmas dinner that is. I filled my plate and then admired the most delicious looking roast dinner I had seen in many months before diving in.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the way you eat Rose." I heard Scorpius say.

"You're just jealous I can eat all of this and still look this amazing." I replied.

"Keep dreaming Weasley. You know I'm hot, and I think every girl in this school would agree." I couldn't help it, I snorted in the most unladylike manner.

"Like anyone would want an arrogant arse like you Malfoy."

"I'll take that as a challenge then." Scorpius said with a smirk on his face. I just rolled my eyes and went back to eating my food.

The first week back was very busy. I had taken on three new subjects; Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Niamh, Al and Scorpius had taken the same subjects, so at least I had friends in all of my classes. I think Arithmancy is my new favourite subject.

To add to the hectic week, Scorpius and Al seemed to have attracted a gaggle of female followers since term began, so in addition to attending my new classes, I was dragging Niamh through new routes around the castle to try and avoid bumping in to them. I couldn't stand the giggling, though Scorpius seemed to love all of the attention. I wasn't so sure about Al, but I assumed that, as a teenage boy, he'd soon start to lap it up.

Al spent most of the first week nagging me about Quidditch and on Friday I finally gave in, "Fine Al! I'll come to tryouts tomorrow! Just stop nagging me _please!_"

So on Saturday morning, I had to drag myself out of bed far too early for my liking, just to play Quidditch.

One of the first things I noticed was that the dorm was half empty. There was only Niamh left in bed when I left the room. The other third year girls must have gotten up really early for me to have missed them. I didn't really talk to the other girls much, and besides, they now formed part of the giggle gang that seemed to have taken up stalking Scorpius and Al as a full time occupation, so I couldn't see myself getting along with them in the near future either, Coral McLaggen in particular.

I grabbed some toast from the Gryffindor table and headed straight down to the Quidditch pitch because I was running late (despite the ungodly hour). Once I reached the pitch I realised why the girls' dorm had been half empty. There in the stands sat Coral McLaggen and the rest of the third year Gryffindors, along with a couple of Ravenclaw students, and even some Slytherins. I rolled my eyes and headed over to the group of students who had turned up to try out.

"I see your fan club are here to support you," I said to Scorpius. He just grinned at me and brushed his hair out of his eyes before waving to the group of girls sat in the stands, who immediately fell about giggling.

"I don't see what's so funny," Al said. At least one of them had their head screwed on right.

Try-outs went really well. Dom lost her temper quite a few times with some of the more inept 'hopefuls' but in the end she decided on Al, Scorpius and I as the new Chasers. She really put us through our paces, and made sure that everyone present knew that she was picking us because we were best for the job and not because we were family. Nobody dared argue with her.

So apart from Scorpius and the Keeper, fifth year Ashley Wood, the new Gryffindor team comprised of mainly Weasley/Potter family members. I knew my dad would be ecstatic when he found out.

As we headed back to the castle, Scorpius and Al were suddenly surrounded, so I quickly extracted myself from the crowd and headed over to Niamh, who had come to see the end of try-outs.

"Well done Rosie! I knew you could do it!" Niamh squealed when I came close to her.

"Thanks Niamh" I said, smiling from ear to ear. I might have been reluctant to try, but I was really happy that I had made the team, especially after I had seen the other useless sods that had turned up. We'd never have had a chance at the cup with any of them on the team.

We had barely walked 10 paces when Al appeared at my side looking rather flustered.

"Hi Al," Niamh said, "I see you managed to escape from the vultures."

Al scowled and said "I dunno how Scor handles it. Their constant giggling is really getting on my nerves!"

"You know it's all because your dad's caught those blokes that were planning to kill the Minister for Magic over summer and it was all over the prophet. I heard Coral telling her friends that she would be famous one day, and she fully intended to marry Scorpius to gain such fame." I stared at Niamh for a few seconds.

"Are you being serious? They actually think that going out with Scor or Al will make them famous one day?" I said.

Al looked thoroughly terrified at the prospect of being hunted down by any one of those girls. "I hope they give up when they realise I'm not interested, because I don't think I can handle being in the same room as any of them alone, never mind dating any of them." He shuddered as he fell in to a thoughtful silence.

We were nearly at the castle when Al said "It looks like it'll just be us going on the first Hogsmeade visit too. Scor asked that Black haired Ravenclaw girl to go with him." He gestured to the back of a girl with poker straight black hair running down her back who was hanging off Scorpius' arm, and I vaguely recognised as a girl named Preeya Boot.

"He did what?" I almost shouted. "He's going with some random girl on the first trip to Hogsmeade instead of us? What kind of friend does he think he is? I suppose we're not good enough for him now he has his little fan club." I took Al and Niamh silence as agreement.

That was the beginning of a very rocky year for us. Apart from during Quidditch practice, Scorpius and I barely spoke. Al could even be seen hanging around with Niamh and I, or his brother more often. When Scorpius did join us, he talked about his latest snogging partner so much that I had to leave and seek out some peace and quiet in the library. As far as I was concerned, he was too young to be snogging in broom cupboards like that.

It was around a month before end of year exams that Scorpius shouted after me as I left our Arithmancy class.

"What?" I snapped as I turned around, "I need to get to Charms."

"Look, Rosie, I need your help." Scorpius almost pleaded. I raised an eyebrow at him inviting him to continue. "It's Hyacinth, she won't leave me alone, and I really need to study." Hyacinth Thimble was a Hufflepuff and his latest snog partner.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well, I thought you could maybe think of a way to get her off my back for a night so I can get some work done."

I snorted, "Why should I do anything to help you, when you've barely treated me like a friend all year."

Scorpius had the good grace to actually look ashamed of himself when I said that. "I'm sorry Rosie, I really am. Please, my grades are slipping and dad's annoyed because he got a letter sent to him about me being caught in a broom cupboard with Hyacinth. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"You know, you're such a wimp Scorpius Malfoy. If you want rid of the girl, why don't you just dump her?"

"Does that mean you'll help? Oh, I could hug you!" I didn't answer and strolled in to the Charms classroom before Scorpius could actually hug me. I then spent most of the lesson wondering why I was bothering at all since Scorpius was sat there entertaining the girl in question by making bubbles appear from the end of his wand and sending them to pop on the end of her nose.

At the end of the lesson Scorpius sent a pleading look my way and I rolled my eyes in return. I looked over at the girl and noticed she had an ink pot balanced on the edge of her desk. I whispered a spell to make her bag fall on to its side, and then as she bent to pick it up, I whispered another spell to nudge the ink pot over, spilling the ink all over Hyacinth's head. She let out a deafening shriek and ran from the room. One of her friends grabbed her things and bolted after her.

Scorpius stared at the door for a second before he burst out laughing. "Weasley, I didn't know you had it in you!" I couldn't help it; I smirked at my handy work. I had quite enjoyed pulling that little prank, especially considering Hyacinth Thimble was one of the most annoying girls in our year, besides Coral McLaggen of course.

"Didn't I tell you in first year you'd enjoy yourself if you joined in with our pranks once in a while?" Scorpius said to me, still chuckling.

"Whatever Malfoy. And I'd be careful if I were you, I'm pretty sure one of Miss Inky Locks' friends heard you laughing just then."

"Oh well, it'll save me the job of having to dump her if she finds out."

We headed to dinner together chatting as though the last year hadn't happened and then spent the whole evening catching up on work in the Library.

Sure enough, the next morning saw Scorpius being yelled at by an irate Hyacinth at the breakfast table. Scorpius just looked bored, which only made her angrier and she finally dumped his pumpkin juice over his head before storming off.

"I'm staying away from girls for a while I think," Scorpius said as he wrung out his robes. "I've decided they're mental."

"Not all girls are mental mate, just that one." Al said.

"To be honest, you probably deserved that drink over your head, though I'm glad we'll finally be getting you back as a friend. Al's been miserable without you."

Scorpius laughed and threw his very soggy arm around my shoulders. "Admit it Weasley, you missed me." I scowled and pushed his arm away before drying my robes with hot air from my wand. I suppose I had missed him, but I'd never admit that to anyone else.

"You know, I'm surprised you fit through the door with an ego that big Malfoy." It was nice to be back to normal.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello readers. From now on, the years are going to be broken down a bit more, so I apologise if things are left a bit open at the end of this chapter._

_Hope you enjoy! C xxx_

**Fourth Year**

In the summer before fourth year, Niamh came to stay for a few of weeks. Her elder brother Shay was being one of those typical teenagers that just had to cause trouble with their family for no good reason, and Niamh wrote to me asking if I could beg my parents to let her stay for a while so she could get away from the arguments. Of course my parents didn't need any kind of persuasion, they immediately said "yes" when I asked if my best friend could come to stay.

Niamh had been in England for two weeks when we decided to go in to Muggle London for the day. We woke up early to make sure we had the whole day to explore. Half way through breakfast Al tumbled through the fireplace in the kitchen sending soot flying all over.

"Do you have to make so much mess?" I scowled.

"Sorry Rosie, I just had to get out of there. Mum and Dad have the day off and they were being disgustingly lovey dovey. It's just not right!" Al said in disgust. "Thought I'd come spend the day with you guys."

"We're going to London today" Niamh told him. I scowled again; she may as well have straight out asked Al to tag along on our girls day.

"Great!" Al grinned. "I'll floo Scor and get him to come too."

"Perfect" I mumbled sarcastically, but Al and Niamh weren't listening.

Half an hour later we travelled by floo to the Leaky Cauldron where we met Scorpius.

"Hurry up guys," Scorpius said. "I want to see the new Nimbus."

"We're not going to Diagon Alley," I interrupted. "We're heading to Muggle London."

"What? Why?" Scorpius asked.

"Mum was telling me about how she used to visit these Museums as a child. Niamh and I wanted to go and see what the Muggles call History." I explained. "You don't have to come if you don't want." I may have sounded too hopeful because Al frowned and pushed Scorpius towards the door.

"Of course we're coming. Get a move on Scor!"

We spent quite a few hours laughing at some of the muggle views on history. It really was fascinating to see how they explained away some of the extinct Dragon's they had found remains of. Honestly, they'll believe in Dinosaurs but not dragons?

Surprisingly Scorpius knew his way around muggle London pretty well. He took us into a few of his favourite shops that he often came to with his mother. I used the muggle notes mum had given me to buy a few books for myself and my mother to read and Scorpius and Al lingered outside a tattoo parlour discussing which tattoos they intended to get once they were old enough. Personally I couldn't see the appeal of putting yourself through that amount of pain; surely there were less painful wizarding methods, but apparently that wasn't 'manly' enough for them. I rolled my eyes at the boys and dragged Niamh off towards a large wheel that towered over the skyline.

"Ohhh!" I exclaimed as we reached the wheel with glass pods spaced out around it. "Can we go for a ride? Pleeaassseeee?"

"Rosie, you know how I feel about heights" Niamh said.

"And I'm not exactly a fan of enclosed spaces." When he was about seven, Al's brother had locked him in the broom shed as a joke and ever since then Al had been terrified of being locked in a small space again. When Uncle Harry had found out where Al was and let him out, I had never seen him so angry; normally it was Aunt Ginny who was the angry one.

"You guys are no fun!" I pouted. Scorpius was looking at me strangely, and then he suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Come on, I'll go with you." I said smiling.

I was a little shocked for a second, but this was replaced with excitement as Scorpius produced some muggle notes to pay for us both and we climbed into our own glass pod.

"Where did you get muggle money from?" I asked since he didn't know we'd be coming to Muggle London.

"I always have some on me because I come with mum occasionally." He explained.

I accepted his explanation and turned to look through the glass as we rose in to the air. My face must have lit up because Scorpius laughed at me.

"Anyone would think you've never been flying before" he chuckled.

"But look at the view Scor! Flying always has a purpose to it; you never get to sit back and just appreciate the view. Don't you think London looks pretty from up here?" He followed my gaze and smiled.

"I suppose you're right." He said, though he looked slightly thoughtful as he did.

"Hey Rosie! Up for a game of Quidditch?" Scorpius was shouting at me across the field behind my grandparents' house. As he drew closer he added, "I'm giving you a choice, but Al says if you say no, I have to drag you back with me. He was very insistent that you owe it to him. Something about it being his birthday?" He was grinning, and I rolled my eyes and shut my Jane Austen novel.

"I suppose I could use the practice before we get back to school. I don't want to lose my place on the team after all."

It had been a week since our trip to London, and Niamh had returned to Ireland for the last part of the holidays. Scorpius had come to The Burrow for Al's birthday but we hadn't really spoken to each other since our ride on the big wheel. It felt like we were much closer as friends though, and I couldn't imagine falling out with him again like last year.

Al had once again managed to pool together the whole family, and we set up teams so the adults were against the 'kids', though you couldn't exactly call some of us children anymore.

We were much more evenly matched this time around in comparison to the summer after our first year. I had a sneaking suspicion that maybe the adults hadn't played their best in that game after all. The adults were ahead by thirty points after about twenty minutes. I had just gained possession of the Quaffle when I heard a cry from behind me. Molly shouted my name a split second before I felt something hard slam into my ribs knocking the wind out of my lungs. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew I was being carried into the kitchen of The Burrow. I looked up to see the blond head and worried face of Scorpius Malfoy. The pain in my chest was excruciating, making it difficult to think straight, but I could vaguely make out my father's extremely angry voice as he shouted at someone across the garden.

"Hey," I heard a whispered voice say from above me. I looked up to see Scorpius gazing down at me as he lowered me onto a chair in the kitchen. "I don't think I've ever seen your dad so angry. I'm not sure your Uncle George quite knew what hit him when his little brother started firing hexes in his direction." Despite the worry in his eyes, I could tell Scorpius was trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. I didn't have chance to ask what had happened because at that moment my mother and grandma Molly came bustling into the kitchen.

"Oh Rosie! Thank heavens you're OK!" My mother cried. "Where does it hurt? Let me see. You may have some cracked ribs."

I sat back and let my mum attend to my injuries, while Grandma Molly searched her cupboards for a potion to prevent bruising. I knew better than to interrupt the women in my family when they were in full nurse mode.

"I don't know how many times I've told your father that game is too dangerous for you, and now this happens! If Scorpius hadn't caught you, I dread to think what could have happened. I forbid you to play with them again." This was too much.

"Mum! I'm fine! I play Quidditch at school, surely you of all people know you can't avoid injuries all the time." I stood up as I said this and spun round to illustrate my point.

"But Rose, you was knocked from your broom! You could have been killed!"

I rolled my eyes at this. "Mum, do you honestly think that would have happened in a field full of fully trained witches and wizards?" My mum didn't really have an answer to this, so she just started grumbling to herself about dangerous sports while clearing up the bowl of potion she had been dabbing onto my skin.

I looked over to where Scorpius was now stood with Al. They were both grinning at my outburst.

"You caught me?" I asked Scorpius in a small voice.

"You sound surprised Weasley?" He said with the trademark Malfoy smirk on his lips. I blushed and dropped my head to gaze at the floor.

"Ummm, thanks." I mumbled feeling rather embarrassed for some reason.

Scorpius just laughed and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Don't mention it. Now, let's see if we can persuade the adults to finish off that game. I reckon we had a good chance of winning this year."

The three of us hurried out of the kitchen as my mother and grandmother both shouted after us "You will not!"

We were about a month into our fourth year when Scorpius and I had our first major argument of the year. We were stood outside the Charms classroom waiting to go in when a brown haired Ravenclaw boy with the darkest brown eyes you've ever seen walked over to us. I recognised him as Bobby Phillips from our year.

"Hey Rose," he said as he came near. "How are you?"

I smiled shyly as I looked up into those dark eyes. He was really quite cute with his messy hair and olive skin. "Hello Bobby. I'm OK thanks. You?" Bobby grinned at me and replied "I'm good. Listen, I know it might seem out of the blue, but I was wondering if you fancied going to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" It certainly was out of the blue. I couldn't remember ever having any kind of extended conversation with Bobby, I couldn't understand why he would be asking me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I considered asking him why, but as I gazed up at his hopeful face, I just couldn't bring myself to let him down, so, blushing an extreme Weasley red, I gave him my answer.

"Sure, why not?" I smiled. "I'll meet you in the entrance hall after breakfast, if that's OK?"

"That's great! See you Saturday Rose." Then he turned around and headed back over to his friends looking extremely please with himself. I had butterflies in my tummy and I couldn't help but smile; I was going on my first date!

The happiness was short lived however, as I turned around to see both Al and Scorpius scowling at me. The reaction from Albus was expected. He can be so overprotective at times, and I dreaded to think how he would react when Lily went on her first date, but Scorpius had no reason to be scowling at me.

"What are you giving me that look for?" I snapped at him.

"You are actually going on a date on Saturday, and with that idiot of all people?" He retorted.

"Yes I am. Bobby is a perfectly nice boy, and besides, how is it any of your business anyway?"

"Since you have obviously forgotten I shall remind you. Saturday is my birthday, and you said you would come to Hogsmeade with me and Al to celebrate." My stomach suddenly dropped.

"Oh Scor! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot! Do you want me to rearrange? I can explain to Bobby." I couldn't believe I had forgotten the plans we had already made.

"No, Rose it's fine. I'm sure we will see you after."

"Are you sure? Scorpius I'm so sorry. I will tell Bobby I have to meet up with you guys later on." Scorpius grunted in reply before turning to enter the classroom. He barely spoke to me for the rest of the week after that.

When Saturday came around, I headed down to breakfast feeling rather nervous. I had no idea how to act on a date. In fact, I didn't hang out with many people outside of my family, so I was nervous about even making new friends.

Al and Niamh were already sat at Gryffindor table when I arrived. Al had finally accepted that he couldn't do anything about me going on a date with a boy, but he did insist that he "didn't have to be happy about it."

I didn't eat much because of my nerves, and after leaving it as long as I possibly could I finally got up to leave. "Tell Scorpius I waited to wish him a happy birthday, but I had to go. I'll see you guys later."

"Will do Rosie," Niamh said with a smile. "I hope it goes well! You must tell me all about it later."

I found Bobby already waiting for me in the entrance hall. I suddenly felt very self conscious as I felt completely underdressed in my jumper and skinny jeans tucked in to my boots. I couldn't understand why anybody would want to go on a date with plain old me, especially when they looked as cute as Bobby did in his smart jeans and black shirt. He stood casually leaning against the wall with his sleeves rolled up and his messy hair falling into his eyes. He caught my eye and grinned making me blush.

"Hi," I said in a small voice.

"Hi," Bobby said. "Ready to go?" I could only nod in response, afraid I'd lose my voice through nerves.

I thought things would be rather awkward between us and we walked through the grounds, but once we started talking we found we had loads in common. Bobby's mum was also muggle born, and he loved to read muggle literature as much as I did. He was very smart, obviously, seeing as how he was in Ravenclaw, and he made me laugh with his terrible jokes. We wandered through the village, occasionally drifting into different shops and I even plucked up the courage to introduce him to my Auntie Angelina, who promised to keep my uncle out of the way so that we could have a look around the shop.

I thought everything was going well until I asked Bobby if I could go into the Hogsmeade branch of Quality Quidditch Supplies to buy Scorpius his birthday present as I had promised to meet up with him later on.

"You promised to meet up with another bloke when we are supposed to be on a date?" Bobby sounded a little bit hurt and it made me feel very guilty.

"Oh Bobby, I didn't mean to upset you, but I had already promised when I said I would come here with you. It's Scorpius' birthday and he is my friend. I felt terrible ditching him and the others on his birthday, but I did come here with you."

"He's your friend? I thought you two argued all the time?"

"Yes, we do bicker, but he is my friend. Only my friend. Would you mind if I met with them? You can come with me if you like?"

Bobby seemed to consider what I had said for a while before replying. "No. It's fine. You go and see your friends. I'll catch up with you at school."

He was just about to turn towards the school, but I couldn't let him leave just like that, so I stepped towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. This seemed to shock Bobby, and he stood gazing at me for a few seconds before he grinned and pulled me towards him. "I suppose I shouldn't be jealous when I'm the one that gets to kiss you eh?" I felt butterflies in my tummy as he leant down and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.

I pulled back and smiled up at him. "There's definitely no need to be jealous. I'll see you at dinner."

His eyes twinkled as he smiled one last time and headed back towards the school.

I watched him go feeling happier than I had in a long time before popping into Quality Quidditch Supplies for the broom servicing kit I had ordered for Scorpius.


End file.
